While I honestly enjoyed each story in Come Again, I truly loved, and was even moved by, a select few. My favorite story in the collection was Gift by Dena Hankins. Gift features two women in their 60’s and 70’s exploring lesbian sex for the first time. They have been sleeping together for a few weeks, but the story focuses on a new toy they test together, leading to a new level of pleasure neither woman has ever experienced. Gift not only turned me on, but deeply moved me as well. In the story, one of the women deals with physical disability and mobility issues. With the introduction of the new toy, she is able to reclaim her sexuality in spite of her limited mobility and engage fully with her lover for the first time. For the first time, my eyes welled with tears while reading erotica – a true testament to the undeniable beauty of Gift and Dena Hankins’ talent as an author. –Formidable Femme

I’m the opposite of speechless – I want to chatter about my excitement without pausing for breath!

What a, well, gift to be read by someone who engaged with my writing on this level. No lie, I brought tears to my own eyes writing this story, but that’s me and my very own textured imaginary version of this story. To read that this Femme was right there with me…

Floating, flying happiness.

Come Again: Sex Toy Erotica is doing so well out in the world. I’m tickled to be singled out for appreciation among a strong group of stories.

Dena Hankins will be at Good Vibrations, in the Antique Vibrator Museum, for a group reading September 29th and an erotica reading workshop September 30th. She is touring the Pacific Northwest to promote her queer/trans* romance, Blue Water Dreams, published by Bold Strokes Books and available through major distributors. The tour mixes readings, discussions, erotica reading workshops, and visits to groups for transgender people and their allies.

Publishers Weekly says this about Blue Water Dreams: “Seattleites Lania Marchiol, a cisgender woman, and Oly Rasmussen, a transgender man, meet by chance and quickly bond over shared interests…and when Lania and Oly set their differences aside and embrace their sexual chemistry, the scenes are graceful, sure, and spicy.”

9/30/14, 6:30pm-8:30pmhttp://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/845246Open Windows: Look Inside with Erotica—Fantasy or exactly what you did last night, words add power and excitement to sex. Erotica and romance writer Dena Hankins will ask which words turn you on, and whether you want to try what you just read about. Let’s talk hot language, exploring new ideas, and sharing stories with your lovers.

Good Vibrations has been creating a buzz since 1977. They’ve been trusted for over three decades to provide high quality products, education, and information that promotes sexual health, pleasure, and empowerment. Having invented the concept of the clean, well-lighted vibrator store, they’re proud to provide a safe and welcoming environment where customers can shop for sex toys, books, movies, and attend workshops.

Other stops in the tour include the Gender Alliance of the South Sound in Tacoma, WA, The Art of Loving in Vancouver, BC, the Gender Justice League and Gay Romance Northwest Meet-up in Seattle, WA, Orca Books in Olympia, WA, and the In Other Words Feminist Community Center in Portland, OR.

“I love these people,” says Dena. “The characters in this queer/trans* romance are fierce, passionate folks struggling to balance magnetism and self-sufficiency, trying to love all the way to the core without losing themselves in the process. You will be rooting for them to get it on and fall for each other. I hope you read the book and fall for them too.”

Dena Hankins writes aboard her boat, wherever she has sailed it. After eight years as a sex educator, she turned to writing dirty tales with far-flung settings and a queer/trans* romance novel, Blue Water Dreams. Read more: www.denahankins.net.

Dena Hankins will lead a workshop on reading erotica at the In Other Words Feminist Community Center on September 23rd, 2014. She is touring the Pacific Northwest to promote her queer/trans* romance, Blue Water Dreams, published by Bold Strokes Books and available through major distributors. The tour mixes readings, discussions, erotica reading workshops, and visits to groups for transgender people and their allies.

Publishers Weekly has this to say about Blue Water Dreams: “Seattleites Lania Marchiol, a cisgender woman, and Oly Rasmussen, a transgender man, meet by chance and quickly bond over shared interests…and when Lania and Oly set their differences aside and embrace their sexual chemistry, the scenes are graceful, sure, and spicy.”

Open Windows: Look Inside with Erotica—Fantasy or exactly what you did last night, words add power and excitement to sex. Erotica and romance writer Dena Hankins will ask which words turn you on, and whether you want to try what you just read about. Let’s talk hot language, exploring new ideas, and sharing stories with your lovers.

In Other Words is a non-profit, volunteer-run, feminist community center in Portland, Oregon. Their mission is to support, enrich, and empower the feminist community through literature, art, and educational and cultural events. They have a storefront that serves as a book store, a lending library, and a venue for feminist events.

Other stops in the tour include the Gender Alliance of the South Sound in Tacoma, WA, The Art of Loving in Vancouver, BC, the Gender Justice League and Gay Romance Northwest Meet-up in Seattle, WA, Orca Books in Olympia, WA, and two events at Good Vibrations in San Francisco, CA, at their Polk Street location.

“I love these people,” says Dena. “The characters in this queer/trans* romance are fierce, passionate folks struggling to balance magnetism and self-sufficiency, trying to love all the way to the core without losing themselves in the process. You will be rooting for them to get it on and fall for each other. I hope you read the book and fall for them too.”

Dena Hankins writes aboard her boat, wherever she has sailed it. After eight years as a sex educator, she turned to writing dirty tales with far-flung settings and a queer/trans* romance novel, Blue Water Dreams. Read more: www.denahankins.net.

Dena Hankins will be a panelist on writing diverse characters at the Gay Romance Northwest conference for readers and writers of queer books. She is touring the Pacific Northwest to promote her new queer/trans* romance, Blue Water Dreams, her debut novel, published by Bold Strokes Books and available through major distributors. The tour mixes readings, discussions, erotica reading workshops, and visits to groups for transgender people and their allies.

Publishers Weekly has this to say about Blue Water Dreams: “Seattleites Lania Marchiol, a cisgender woman, and Oly Rasmussen, a transgender man, meet by chance and quickly bond over shared interests…and when Lania and Oly set their differences aside and embrace their sexual chemistry, the scenes are graceful, sure, and spicy.”

Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up 2014 will consist of a full day of activities on September 20, 2014, including an afternoon conference with panel discussions and Q&As, writing workshops, pitch sessions with attending publishers, and a reader meet-up in the morning, a post-conference book fest with author signings and bookselling, and a fun after party following all the festivities featuring more short readings and time to mingle with attendees.

Other stops in the tour include the Gender Alliance of the South Sound in Tacoma, WA, The Art of Loving in Vancouver, BC, the Gender Justice League in Seattle, WA, Orca Books in Olympia, WA, In Other Words Feminist Community Center in Portland, OR, and two events at Good Vibrations in San Francisco, CA, at their Polk Street location.

“I love these people,” says Dena. “The characters in this queer/trans* romance are fierce, passionate folks struggling to balance magnetism and self-sufficiency, trying to love all the way to the core without losing themselves in the process. You will be rooting for them to get it on and fall for each other. I hope you read the book and fall for them too.”

Dena Hankins writes aboard her boat, wherever she has sailed it. After eight years as a sex educator, she turned to writing dirty tales with far-flung settings and a queer/trans* romance novel, Blue Water Dreams. Read more: www.denahankins.net.

###

Press ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Book Tour for Blue Water Dreams,
a Queer/Trans* Romance Debut Novel,
Hits Seattle on September 20th

SEATTLE, WA, August 12, 2014—Dena Hankins will be a panelist on writing diverse characters at the Gay Romance Northwest conference for readers and writers of queer books. She is touring the Pacific Northwest to promote her new queer/trans* romance, Blue Water Dreams, her debut novel, published by Bold Strokes Books and available through major distributors.The tour mixes readings, discussions, erotica reading workshops, and visits to groups for transgender people and their allies.

Publishers Weekly has this to say about Blue Water Dreams:“Seattleites Lania Marchiol, a cisgender woman, and Oly Rasmussen, a transgender man, meet by chance and quickly bond over shared interests…and when Lania and Oly set their differences aside and embrace their sexual chemistry, the scenes are graceful, sure, and spicy.”

Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up 2014 will consist of a full day of activities on September 20, 2014, including an afternoon conference with panel discussions and Q&As, writing workshops, pitch sessions with attending publishers, and a reader meet-up in the morning, a post-conference book fest with author signings and bookselling, and a fun after party following all the festivities featuring more short readings and time to mingle with attendees.

Other stops in the tour include the Gender Alliance of the South Sound in Tacoma, WA, The Art of Loving in Vancouver, BC, the Gender Justice League in Seattle, WA, Orca Books in Olympia, WA, In Other Words Feminist Community Center in Portland, OR, and two events at Good Vibrations in San Francisco, CA, at their Polk Street location.

“I love these people,” says Dena.“The characters in this queer/trans* romance are fierce, passionate folks struggling to balance magnetism and self-sufficiency, trying to love all the way to the core without losing themselves in the process.You will be rooting for them to get it on and fall for each other.I hope you read the book and fall for them too.”

Dena Hankins writes aboard her boat, wherever she has sailed it. After eight years as a sex educator, she turned to writing dirty tales with far-flung settings and a queer/trans* romance novel, Blue Water Dreams. Read more: www.denahankins.net.

Dena Hankins will visit The Art of Loving for a reading and discussion of her new queer/trans* romance, Blue Water Dreams. She is touring the Pacific Northwest to promote her debut novel, published by Bold Strokes Books and available through major distributors. The tour mixes readings, discussions, erotica reading workshops, and visits to groups for transgender people and their allies.

Publishers Weekly has this to say about Blue Water Dreams: “Seattleites Lania Marchiol, a cisgender woman, and Oly Rasmussen, a transgender man, meet by chance and quickly bond over shared interests…and when Lania and Oly set their differences aside and embrace their sexual chemistry, the scenes are graceful, sure, and spicy.”

The Art of Loving is a sex toy shop with a mission: enhance the sex life of their customers, promote sex-positive culture, and help society become more tolerant of sexual expression. They bring these into being through quality products, knowledgeable staff, customer education, and community involvement.

Other stops in the tour include the Gender Alliance of the South Sound in Tacoma, WA, the Gender Justice League and Gay Romance Northwest Meet-up in Seattle, WA, Orca Books in Olympia, WA, In Other Words Feminist Community Center in Portland, OR, and two events at Good Vibrations in San Francisco, CA, at their Polk Street location.

“I love these people,” says Dena. “The characters in this queer/trans* romance are fierce, passionate folks struggling to balance magnetism and self-sufficiency, trying to love all the way to the core without losing themselves in the process. You will be rooting for them to get it on and fall for each other. I hope you read the book and fall for them too.”

Dena Hankins writes aboard her boat, wherever she has sailed it. After eight years as a sex educator, she turned to writing dirty tales with far-flung settings and a queer/trans* romance novel, Blue Water Dreams. Read more: www.denahankins.net.

Best Lesbian Erotica 2015 will contain a reprint of Cooling Down, Heating Up! I’m terribly excited to be in a “Best of” anthology. Right now, I have only one more story out on consideration. Wish me luck!

I had so much fun recording this. Liz gave me the run-down on how the recording would work and I did the reading.

Being able to stop and get things right is a pleasure. Live readings require the ability to continue, move on, even in the face of big mistakes. I was never fond of performing piano for others, mostly because of this inability to go back and get things right. Though I have enjoyed performing more as I’ve gained confidence, the recording process is a profound comfort.

In the story, I have the pleasure of wrapping my tongue around the language of strap-on butt sex, long-term loves, and more.

Afterward, we talked a while. She’s quite fascinating, and we traded stories a bit. It’s a pleasure to talk to someone who is sexually literate and proud of it. I love to write detailed fuck scenes based on my own sexual experiences mixed with imagination and a geeky fascination with the ways that bodies work. What fun to talk to someone who appreciates that and does the same!

So thanks, Liz, and thanks to all of you who listen to the story. If you prefer reading your porn rather than listening to it, any of my three published stories hit the hot spots.